“ This will sound like a commercial, but T-Splines saved me on two recent projects! I am asked so often about T-Splines, I developed a list of four things that make T-Splines a killer, must-have plug-in for Rhino:

1) You can currently increase the U&V’s in Rhino for adding details, but they always go around the entire model (both directions) making your model overly complex and harder to edit. T-Splines lets you add details ONLY in specified areas, whereby they can stop and start as needed. The result is the “T junction,” which is what the software was named after.

2) If you have ever seen poly or sub-D modeling, you know how powerful it can be to simply extrude a face wherever needed. T-Splines lets you do the same thing but with a continuous and smooth NURBS surface. You can also extrude the same “face,” or region -- repeatedly -- and create forms that are impossible by NURBS alone.

3) A “manipulator” makes all of your editing even easier. This is a handy gizmo that let you select any number of control points and manipulate them via a handle for moving, rotating, or scaling. Rhino should have this built in!

4) Finally, T-splines is crazy-easy to use. If you already know Rhino, the tool-set has only a few more commands -- and all are extremely intuitive. This may be the coolest part about T-Splines, you can start using it right away. You can’t say that about too many 3D apps.”
- Dave Schultze, Owner

The challenge

The primary challenge was to re-create the dynamic character-based form and still remain true to the expressiveness of the original design sketch. I needed the geometry to flow smoothly and remain uninterrupted across various transitional and functional areas. That’s pretty hard to do, especially with a tight deadline.

The solution

T-Splines greatly simplified the modeling tasks to execute such a demanding design. The capabilities of the software allowed for painless tweaks and almost endless iterations as we refined the forms and explored variations. T-Splines was a huge factor in the successful and timely completion.

Future Direction

While it did not win the competition, one judge informed me that my design form was among the most compelling and original. (It just wasn’t a good fit.) SchultzeWORKS is now exploring licensing opportunities with other prospective manufacturers.
T-Splines has become an integral part of my toolset for all of my industrial design projects. And, due to increased interest and demand, I have just added T-Splines training to a new 3D VIZ class at OTIS College of Art and Design where I currently teach. I have also begun offering individual T-Splines training, in conjunction with my Rhino training, to corporate clients on demand. For more information, visit www.professor3d.com

Learn more

To learn more about how SchultzeWorks completed their project with the help of T-Splines, you can download the case study here or on our case studies home page.